Performances

Tune of the Day: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Traditional Christmas hymn

It is believed that this traditional tune stems from a 15th century French processional for Franciscan nuns, but it may also have 8th century Gregorian origins. It is one of the most solemn Advent hymns.

The words were com­bined from var­i­ous an­ti­phons by an un­known au­thor, pos­si­bly in the 12th cen­tu­ry; they were subsequently trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale in the mid-19th century. Neale's orig­in­al trans­l­a­tion actually be­gan, “Draw nigh, draw nigh, Em­man­u­el”.

The lyrics echo a num­ber of pro­phet­ic themes. The ti­tle comes from Isai­ah 7:14: “Be­hold, a vir­gin shall con­ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im­man­u­el.” Im­man­u­el is Hebrew for “God with us.”